Amber Nights
by Random Reader OO1
Summary: Life was boring, until InuYasha stumbled upon a plot for over throwing the balance, kidnapped royals, and what was originally a mission to return what had been stolen turned into an opportunity to change the world. For better or worse. Now all he has to do is live with his choices. Its simple. Not.
1. Amber Nights

Hello my ducklings, and welcome to my first ever InuYasha Fanfiction. Thanks to my lovely beta, Mrs. Fred Weasley 1996 for her amazing work, as always! No worries Ashes, your still my favorite. For those who are interested, I'm almost done with the next chapter of loosing grip, and about five chapters done with this one so far. R&R!

~Random Reader OO1

Amber Nights

InuYasha sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that morning, so typical, so… Ugh. Ever since Naraku had been killed when InuYasha, Sesshomaru, and Kouga attacked in a sneak attack, with the others as back up, nothing interesting had happened to him. Sure, that wasn't true for the others, Kagome started dating Hojo, a human from her era, Kouga was called by the Royal White Wolf Lord, Seiji, and Miroku married Sango. The only semi-exiting thing that happened to him was that he _finally_ got the slave collar off of his neck in a strange encounter with Kikyo, in which she went to her old village, removed the beads, and scolded Kaede for using them on him. The memory still brought a smirk to his lips.

InuYasha lounged in a tree in his forest, close enough to easily hear if one of his pack called him, but far enough away to be alone for now. Lately, he had been feeling suffocated by his pack. More than once, his demon whispered that he should just leave, after all hanyou were supposed to be alone, forsaken by humans, and detested by demons.

Sometimes, the half-demon simply had to run. Away from Kagome and her shouting at everything he did, away from the teasing of Miroku, and the noise of his pack. Now that Sango and Miroku had married, they lived in the village, Sango was no longer interested in hunting demons, and Miroku refused to be without his lovely wife. Kagome now left for weeks at a time, and Shippo simply followed Kaede around, helping her with chores around the hut.

Whenever they were all together, InuYasha felt like he was suffocating, but now that his pack had moved on, maybe it was time he did too. He snorted at that. As if he could leave. His pack, no matter how distant they now were, was still his responsibility.

His ears twitched, and he stilled. A boar demon and what smelled like a fox kit and wolf cub, in his territory. Using his stealth, he stayed down wind of the demon, and heard the demoness talking to the children. Her voice was high and cruel. Both children were young, they couldn't be over two weeks old, and InuYasha heard her talking about how all she needed to do now was wait until the children were older, lost to their inner demons from not being able to transform into their humanoid selves, then set them on their parents, successfully whipping out the Royal White Wolves, and the Royal White Foxes.

He rolled his eyes, another takeover attempt.

Great.

Slowly, he walked out of his hiding place, changing his posture from the confident warrior that he was to a meek hanyou, before going over to the female. She was a blonde boar, the lowest of the low, demon ranking wise, and she would probably be an easy kill. Her body was beautifully curved, and her hair shone like the sun.

"Who are you?" He asked, keeping a slight tremble in his voice. She gave him a wicked smirk.

"I am Kouya." She told him.

He took a few steps closer, and inwardly rolled his eyes as she let him. He looked at the cub and kit in the cage at her side, both were white. So, this bitch had gotten a hold of the youngest prince of the Northern wolves, and the princess of the Southern foxes.

Kouya blinked as she was pushed to the ground, the cage caught in the not-so-meek boys' claws. In one swift move, her head was rolling on the ground, red eyes looking up at him in curiosity.

"For Kidnapping, Attempted Murder, and Plotted Takeover of the Northern and Southern Royal White Tribes, I, Lord InuYasha, Second Son of Inu no Taisho, and heir to the western lands, hereby take your life in form of beheading. May the gods grant you mercy, because those of us with royal white blood will not. Your body will be left for the crows." He told the now dead demoness, resting his now bloody claws on the hilt of his sword.

He scrunched up his nose, beheading always led to a spray of blood, and boar blood now ran down his clothes, arms, and, to his eternal annoyance, his hair. Now that that had been taken care of, he lifted the cage to eye level, and winced, both cub and kit looked almost starved to death. The cub had short, white fur covering his body, but it looked extremely dirty, and his little eyes, still a beautiful icy blue color, flashed with red, signaling that he needed to change soon, or else loose the humanity that he had.

The kit was white too, as every Royal White was, but her markings were clear, even amongst the blood and dirt that clumped together the fur, lavender stripes ran along her body, with almost amethyst colored eyes that flashed red far less often than the cub. She must have been younger than him.

A small sigh escaped him once again, as he walked to a nearby stream, the cool water would help the two pups feel better after a while, and he could get the blood out of his hair, a plus as far as he was concerned, quickly stripping, he washed, before going to the wooden cage that he had placed in the sun light. He dropped to the ground.

"Alright you two, I'm gonna get you out of there, then feed and clean you pups up, alright? So no biting."

After hearing a yip of consent, he opened the cage, and waited for the pups to come to him. After they sniffed his hand, the walked out and waited for him to pick them up. He started first with the feeding, seeing the ribs on the two hurt him more than anything else, and leaned against a tree, before puncturing the skin on both sides of his neck, just enough to get a bit of blood to swell to the surface.

Lifting them both to his neck, he carefully maneuvered their muzzles to the bleeding parts of his neck.

As demons, especially this young, they needed both blood and milk, but since he wasn't going to give them milk until he changed them, which he would do after he cleaned them up. They fed for a while, the little kit finished first, but both drank enough that he wasn't really worried about them starving any longer. Carefully, he walked to the stream, sitting next to the shallow, cool water, and cleaned off both of their furs, the poor things just curled into his side when he was working the grime of the others fur. Once the two were clean, he laid them beside his body, curling around them, and focusing his life energy and a bit of his youkai on the two.

Transforming infant youkai into their humanoid forms usually couldn't be done by anyone but the parents; however, he knew he had to at least try to help the two. As a beta himself, not that anyone else knew, his instincts were screaming at him to take care of the pups.

It wasn't an easy process. It hurt him, making him feel like his soul was splitting from the effort. But, the hanyou was nothing if not stubborn, and twenty-seven blood curling minutes later, a small baby boy with ice blue eyes and a tuft of white hair on his head and a little girl with now sparkling lilac eyes and thin, purplish-white soft hair on her head were looking up at him, watching as his body curled around theirs, protecting them subconsciously, with a deep growl rumbling over them.

None would dare come close to a pissed beta protecting cubs. Ever.

The kit yipped quietly, and the pup gave a small growl, both moved slightly and got more comfortable in the warm sun.


	2. Personal Limits

Hey my lovelies! Have you missed me? Yes you have! Thanks to my awesome beta, as always, Mrs. Fred Weasley 1996, for her lovely work! Any mistakes are mine and mine alone. That said, enjoy!

Chapter 2 Personal Limits

When InuYasha awoke, it was to a soft crying noise. He turned on his senses, before opening his eyes. Both the cub and the kit were awake and looking miserable. InuYasha rolled his eyes, picking up both, before moving to sit by a tree. He laid both children down on his legs, balancing them, before taking off his shirt. A dark blush covered his features, but he did his best to ignore it. His upper body bare, the young Hanyou picked up both children again and held them to his chest.

Neither seemed to need any further encouragement, and the only sounds heard for a while were the soft noises of nature, and the suckling of the two babes. For once, even his demon side was quiet. Well, as quiet as ever, purring strangely in contentment.

After roughly fifteen minutes, the two looked up at him with strange expressions. He rolled his eyes and twisted both babes to one arm, puncturing the skin on his shoulders quickly, before moving both babes up to the bleeding spots.

This was what was missing. A pup. His pup. Someone who trusted that he knew what they needed without having to ask. Someone who trusted the hanyou. After all, no one would dare place their trust in someone like him. Someone who didn't belong to either world.

This was the biggest reason he was still alone. As a beta, a submissive male, he had to wait for someone to claim him, like he was a female. While something in him, his human side, hated the loss of power that his future alpha was going to take, most of him didn't mind at all. Why, he wasn't sure, but the thought of having someone care for him, protect him, and willing to give up their lives for someone like him was enticing. Most of the time, beta's were taken within the first week of their coming of age. Here he was, five months later, and no one even paid him any attention.

He snorted to himself, who would be interested in someone brash, uneducated, and to make it worse, a half-breed freak. Honestly, he didn't ever expect to mate. And he was alright with that, not happy, but he had gotten over it.

By this point, both cub and kit were asleep in his arms. He wrapped the little girl in his fire rat robe and the little boy in his undershirt. Sure, he wasn't comfortable going around with his torso bared, but he had seen the two shiver, and his comfort was second to that of the pups. Carefully maneuvering, he had successfully picked up the two and held them tightly on the run back to the village.

Twenty minutes later, he stood in front of Kaede, trying not to get annoyed by her comments about how natural he looked with the two. He told her that he had to go away for a while, not that anyone would care, and she had handed him a bag for his journey, and taught him how to make a sling so that both pups would be comfortable while he ran, after she had stopped smirking due to three words from the inwardly smug hanyou: Kikyo, Slave, and Collar.

Somewhere in his mind, he briefly wondered if he should tell the rest of his pack, so he told Kaede to tell them, only if they asked, that he would be back with in the week. With that done, he set out, walking out of the village and through the woods at a leisurely pace.

While he walked, he spoke to the two pups about anything and everything. He told them about his mother, and how she had told him stories of his older brother, who was nothing like she had said. He told them of the fear he had felt when he realized he was a beta, terrified that his brother would come and make life hell for him. He spoke story after story, and the little boy was listening making noises every now and then. The kit however had fallen asleep to the sound of his voice and the steady back and forth motions.

When he stopped for lunch, eating a few fruits that he had brought with him, he fed and cleaned both pups, resting for only a few minutes, before heading towards the middle kingdom. The one place in the demon world that was no mans land. However, it was also the place that the leaders of the demon world go to if there was an assassination attempt, or a kidnapping. Luckily, it was only a two days walk from Kaede's village, and he planned on getting there in the early morning, as he didn't have to stop for rest. As soon as both the cub, which he had secretly named Atsushi, and the kit, Ayumu, had fallen asleep, he started running, keeping his stride quick, but even.

InuYasha knew that he was safe in the trees. Not even Sesshomaru could catch him when he jumped from tree to tree. That was one of the rare moments that his natural grace could be seen.

Soon, dawn began, and he could see the sky light up. He slowed down again, jumping down to the ground, and walking again as soon as her heard Ayumu whimpering in her sleep. He soothed the kit, and kept moving. The sooner that he had dropped off the pups, the sooner his life could go back to normal.

As soon as the gates came into view, he mentally locked his emotions away, as long as the two were safe, he could give them up. Besides, he would never make a pup live like him.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the guards.

Head up, he reminded himself, stand up straight. Gods, it had been almost seventy years since he last had to use this stuff. But, no matter what his blood said, his mind was that of a warrior, not a prince. He looked at things from a tactical point of view, what causes the most damage with the least amount of effort, smallest mess, and least damage to his surroundings. He didn't give a damn about relationships with other villages, trade rates, or the importance of making more money than you spend. Fighting, no matter how much he hated it at times, was his life. Learning and mastering different weapons gave him a thrill that nothing else could. When he was in a dangerous fight against an opponent that could win, and he was on the verge of losing, his blood would pulse through his veins, increasing his speed, and power. That was addicting.

But now, he wasn't able to enter as a warrior, but as a prince. So, without hesitation, he walked calmly into the village of nowhere. The wards washed over him, recognizing his blood for what it was: royalty. The wards caused him slight discomfort, but being who he was, it was ignored. The two guards, one tiger demon and one bear, could do nothing to keep him out if the wards allowed him entrance, so, while they stared, they opened the gates. Ayumu wined quietly when the wards passed her, and Atsushi wrinkled his nose in distaste. He picked Ayumu up from the carrier, and hummed quietly until she settled down, but the damage was done, both kit and cub were awake.

Atsushi watched the world around him with cautious icy blue eyes, not trusting anyone or anything other than InuYasha. Ayumu on the other hand kept her lilac eyes on him, as if she was afraid that he would disappear if she looked away.

Carefully, he maneuvered both pups over his shoulder, muttering quietly to them, this time telling them about his adventures learning magic. Not that he was very good at it, but as a Royal white, he had powers that normal demons didn't, and couldn't have.

His teacher, an old badger demon, Tanuki, just couldn't figure out his talent. He could do almost every exercise that the demon taught, but he wasn't extraordinary at anything, except his ability to pick things up quickly. Eventually, Tanuki let him try to create his own weapon, like forging, but creating it with his Youki instead of his hands.

Everyone was surprised when he created a comb, like Yura of the hairs', but his was black, made of onyx and diamond, but with a little energy, it could turn into a set of seven knives that returned with nothing more than a thought. While that by itself was cool, if he dipped them in blood, they became flaming knives. Not burning him, but burning his opponents alive from the wounds. He hadn't used the comb in years, preferring to leave it with his teacher, with a promise that if he needed it, and it would come to him.

He entertained both of them with the story of catching his sensei on fire when he first started learning the elemental magic. By the end of his tale, the cub and kit were giggling, and they had gotten to the very center of Japan, where the royals were housed when there had been an assignation attempt, or a kidnapping, in this case the later was obviously the correct, but that didn't mean that there were no other plans to take over the kingdoms. He knew he was in the right place when the scent of fox, dog, wolf, and cat were tied together in one house. The fact that it was the size of a large manor was just conformation that he was right. Ayumu and Atsushi were both giggling, and it made his heart ache that he would have to give them up. He wanted to keep them for a few more minutes, but when he thought about how he would feel if one of his pups were taken, he decided against that.

The morning sun was warm against his skin, and the wind was singing a gentle lullaby, soothing him, and making him feel like everything would work out. So, with one last burst of determination, he walked through the door of the manor, and looked for a place to put both the cub and the kit where they couldn't get hurt. Both were quiet, watching him in an almost creepy way, but something inside of him didn't really mind too much.

The first thing he noticed was the six cubs laying in one basket, only one of them was in humanoid form, a little girl, the others had flashing eyes, and he sighed to himself.

Maybe the mother was weak, or sick, or- he cut himself off, it wasn't any of his business, and he didn't even know the demoness in question, so he didn't care. Besides, the cubs had a couple of days, maybe three if they were lucky, which was plenty of time.

Atsushi growled and InuYasha looked for whatever danger that the cub had sensed. But that wasn't right either. It was more of a 'get it over with already' kind of growl.

"I should just leave them like this for that." InuYasha told the cub, before accidently looking into Ayumu's eyes.

The half demon rolled his eyes, but set down Ayumu next to Atsushi and the little cub. He gently poked both Atsushi and Ayumu in the noses, watching with hidden amusement as their little eyes crossed, trying to look at his finger. "You two are the most manipulative little pups I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

He mentally calculated how much energy he had, and how much he needed. After all, in the past twenty four hours, he had transformed two pups, and ran for hours. It would be cutting it close, closer than he was both safe and comfortable, but he could do it. He mentally begged Tetsuaiga to create a barrier so that even if something did happen, he could be safe.

The scent of his brother got stronger, but InuYasha ignored it, and focused on saving the tiny lives. His youki became visible as it surrounded the cubs, testing them, and feeling their own strength combine with his own. Slowly, he started the change, keeping a close eye on his own energy levels. He grits his teeth in pain, but he didn't let up. Once the change was started, it had to be completed, or else the child would be deformed, both mentally and physically. The Tetsuaiga pulsed with power, giving some of its energy to the half demon.

The change started with the child's mind, then its youkai, then the physical body. Surprisingly, changing the mind was the most delicate, but the youkai required the most energy. Almost an hour later, sweat ran down his face. His body was shaking with the effort, but he knew that he couldn't stop. Not now, not yet.

His energy was almost non existent, and if he didn't stop soon, his body would die, he knew that, but that didn't stop him from fighting for the little lives that he was creating. His mind had to stay focused, no thoughts, no distractions. If he slipped, gave them even an ounce of power faster than their bodies could handle, then he would have five dead pups on his hands.

Slowly but surely, the tiny cubs transformed gracefully into their humanoid selves. Moments later, he curiously examined the six with the last of his energy, making sure that they were fully transformed, before falling forward, resting his head on the hilt of his sword.

He hurt, his body ached, his head ached, and he felt nauseous, but he encored his pained body, and forced himself up, by sheer stubbornness, and checked on the pups. A small, slightly bitter smile showed on his face for the slightest moment. They were fine, but most likely; he would have two human periods this month, because of the demonic energy that he used. With that done, he walked out of the room, cringing slightly at Ayumu's cry, and froze when another familiar scent reached his nose.

Kouga looked way to smug for someone that he hadn't seen in months.

He wanted to growl, but alas, he couldn't. Honestly speaking, he just didn't have the energy to argue. Tremors ran through his body, and he felt freezing, but that wasn't what he was worried about. At the moment, both his demon and human sides were quiet. No echo's in his mind, no arguing between logic and instincts. It was just him, which scared the shit out of him. His mind was silent.

With a small sigh, he gestured for Kouga to do what he wished. Moments later, the prince of the brown wolf tribe was on the floor, laughing. InuYasha just leaned against his sword and the wall, which were the only things keeping him standing.

After almost ten minutes, InuYasha decided he had enough energy to smack the wolf, so, with a hidden smirk; he lifted his sword, and brought the dull handle down on the wolf's head, knocking him out.

"About damn time," he muttered, mentally cursing the stupid wolf. Then again, he would probably still be snickering if the stupid wolf changed in the same way.

"Aww man, he's gonna be so pissed when he wakes up!" A brown wolf that he recognized as Ginta groaned. His friend, Hakkaku, just sighed. InuYasha shrugged in a slightly apologetic way.

He waved to the two friendly demons, and encored the other royal whites, before heading to the door. A figure pinned him to the wall, a dagger placed at his neck, and InuYasha couldn't help but freeze.

"Why did you retrieve them?" Sesshomaru's voice boomed from the other side of the room. InuYasha snorted.

"They were in my territory. I killed the bitch that took them, and brought 'em here" he muttered quietly as his body was pressed harder against the wall, "I won't leave a pup, unlike some."

Apparently, he said the wrong thing, because moments later, the house was filled by growls. Because of his current demon-less state, his instincts were muted, like everything else in his head. He knew he didn't have much longer before his body couldn't handle anything else. The gods must hate him, putting him through hell over and over again. The difference was, this time, he didn't know if he could get out of here. His mind switched into his attack mode, and mentally sized up his opponents, there were at least fifteen people in the room, minus Kouga and his two wolves who wouldn't dare hurt him.

Sesshomaru, and two others were stronger, or at least by scent, and he was sure he could get out of here without survivors, at full strength.

The problem was though, that if he so much as touched any of them, it was an automatic death sentence. Well, anyone excluding Sesshomaru, or so he hoped. He noted all of the exit points, and mentally calculated, while cringing, if he could make it to the door without trouble.

The dagger pressed harder into his throat, causing ringlets of blood to drip down. At the moment, it wasn't enough though, but he could make due. His hands became claws and he dug them into his hand, causing a bigger blood flow.

First, a distraction.

He sent the blades of blood into the wall, opposite of the room where the kids were. Dust surrounded the room, and InuYasha slipped out of the hold, grabbing the knife himself, before bolting towards the door. He didn't make it though, and a dark haired woman with empty eyes caught him, a set of fans in her hands as she moved gracefully to rid the room of the dust.

InuYasha pouted, he couldn't help it.

"That's cheating!" He told his brother, who looked as amused as he ever did, even if InuYasha could see smirk trying to break through. Stupid bastard. Using something like a fucking elemental demon as a defense. But then again, he always did have a thing for wind demonesses. Luckily, there was no one behind him and no dagger to his neck.

_Damn it!_ He thought, his irritation mounting, like his dizziness. _Now what?_ His mind was still fuzzy, but his body was what worried him. He needed to rest. His body may be able to withstand one more attack, but nothing else. Hell that was cutting it closer than he ever had before.

The sound of screams filled his ears as his nose was filled with the scent of blood and death. He pushed past the demon guarding the door, and surveyed the situation. A large boar demon was killing everyone in sight, and for a moment, InuYasha let himself be surprised by the sheer size of the boar. It was easily taller than the trees that he had used to get here, hell; it was probably just about the size of the Sacred Tree. The biggest problem wasn't the size, it was that its tusks were coved with a glowing sickly green, which InuYasha knew was poison, and the poor beast had already lost whatever mind it may have had.

Houses were stomped down, and people were being speared by the tusks.

As sick as it was to say, he was glad for the interruption.

"Get back inside!" He yelled to the stupid demons that had followed him outside, Sesshomaru just gave him a look, before turning dramatically to go back inside.

"Please Tetsuaiga. Please." He begged quietly, the sword pulsed twice. The first one filled his weary body with energy. It wasn't much, but with a battle such as this, the sword couldn't afford to lose much more of its power. The second transformed the sword, and as one, InuYasha and the sword charged, catching the boars' attention and leading it towards the forest. Once he had reached the outside of the town, he turned to a more offensive position. He charged, and hacked away at the boar before delivering one last blow, jumping on its back, and snapping its neck.

With one last burst of strength, he ran until he knew he was safe, before collapsing by the small lake that he himself had created almost seventy years prior. He never realized that he had been followed by his brother, or that he had been surrounded by potential threats in his haven. He never knew that the other royalty had decided to change his life, his future, maybe even his true self. He never felt Kouga lift him into his arms, cursing at his weight, or lack there of, and carry him to the house in the village of nowhere. But, InuYasha did, however, wake when Ayumu and Atsushi started crying for him hours later.


	3. A New Quest

Hey my little duckies! Yet another chapter, not my personal best, but it was certainly fun to write! Hope you guys have as much fun reading it Ashes and I did! Special thanks to Bleeding Ferret to being my very first reviewer! Oh, and just incase i didnt put this any where else, or you didnt get clued in, this is SLASH!

Chapter 3 A New Quest

His mind was still foggy, and his body ached. He felt like shit, but forced himself up, almost zombie like, going over to the cub and kit, picking them up, before shushing them back to sleep. Around that point, he realized that 1) he was still alive, 2) he was back with the two pups, and 3) he had been being watched. Nothing annoyed, or embarrassed him more than being watched. It made him feel like a freak of nature, something that had to be studied to be understood. That being said, it was understandable that when he turned to the grey wolves that had been watching him, he snapped. They looked disgusted, and like they would enjoy nothing more than to take him out while he was weak. Since he was still alive, he figured that they had been ordered to watch, but nothing more.

Well, he thought stretching his sore and tired muscles, it was time to go. He headed towards the door, subtly slipping one of his hands to his sword.

"You aren't allowed to leave yet, half breed." One of the three guards told him, looking half sick at the thought of having to talk to him.

InuYasha rolled his eyes, but turned towards the guards. "Do ya idiots really think ya can keep me here if I don't wanna be?" He asked, before turning his back to them, knowing that they wouldn't dare touch him, if only because he was a hanyou.

Walking down the stairs, he silently prayed that no one would try to stop him. Almost as if just to spite him, the guards shouted something, and not only did it wake up the pups, but no less than twenty people suddenly appeared in the hallway. He mentally groaned; he didn't have time for this! Damn idiots.

He tried to more irritated, but when Kouga came over and slung an arm around his shoulders, speaking cheerfully, yet annoyed to the hanyou, InuYasha knew what to do.

"Kouga, if you don't let me go in five seconds, I swear I will cut off your damn arm." Both of them knew it wasn't a threat, it was a promise. InuYasha ached, and felt like shit. He wasn't it the mood to play around, and it was close to sunset. There was no way that he would allow himself to be killed by a bunch of human-hating, pig-fucking, idiotic, full demon assholes. Or at least, not when he could live to fight another day.

Kouga, as expected, jumped away from him.

One of the full demons, a white wolf, snorted. "Scared of a half demon? The brown wolves really have gotten more pathetic."

Kouga looked like he wanted to say something, but he was a guard, and as much as he wanted to defend his friend, in doing so would cause people to think that he was more loyal to the dogs than the wolves or peace. InuYasha however, had nothing holding him back.

"Hell ya he is. He knows damn well I don't bluff. And from one bastard to another, I seriously would think about insulting me twice. Once is expected, twice means your dead. And unlike the rest of you geezers, I have no ties, and no problems taking bastards down a couple of pegs."

Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku all groaned to themselves, Kouga even smacked himself in the forehead. Sesshomaru smirked and lifted an eyebrow in the direction of the oldest people in the room in, what InuYasha called an I-told-you-so motion.

One of the Foxes lifted his hand, in a settle down motion, before speaking. "Hanyou, you are brash, uneducated, quick-tempered, ill-mannered, and act like a wild animal. However, as part of the council, I will admit that it is partly our faults, as well as your brother's. We are willing to take you back as a Royal White, as a reward for rescuing a prince and princess. Because of your beta blood, we will even allow you to be a breeding bitch." The one who spoke was an elder, which was obvious due to his grey-blue eyes that showed both disgust and wisdom.

InuYasha looked at the man with an odd expression on his face, before his eyes flashed a deadly crimson. He gripped his sword tightly, and bit down roughly on his tongue. Kouga took a step closer to his friend, but froze when that deadly expression turned on him. Or at least it was.

The words echoed in his head, and even without his demon or human halves, they pissed him off. Or at least they did, until he realized what was going on. They were trying to get him back, not because he was a warrior, or because he was well known for his skills. No, they wanted him because he was a stain, something to be hidden away, instead of out in the world gaining recognition. Then, he started laughing, much like Kouga had done just a few short hours ago. He couldn't help it. People came to him for help all the time, even if they hated him for his blood, no one could say he wasn't strong. He could cut down full demons, even without his sword. Now, this guy was saying he would lock InuYasha away, hidden from the world, and saying it was a favor.

It took him more than a few moments to get himself back under control, but when he did his eyes were filled with deadly amusement. He flicked the old guy off, and headed towards the door. These idiots had taken more than their fair share of his time. One of the guards lunged towards him, and InuYasha dodged with ease that most people didn't get to see. Kouga ran over to him, putting a calming hand on his shoulder, and the red receded slightly.

"InuYasha, please…"

InuYasha shrugged the hand off.

"There's no fucking way I'm staying. I don't wanna hurt you, but I'm getting out of this place, with or without your blood on my hands." He warned the other. Kouga looked pained, but gave a signal. InuYasha bowed his head slightly, acknowledging his friends choice, and flexed his claws. He was gonna get out of here, or at the least die trying.

"It's not that bad, InuYasha. Really. They're offering a way to rest, a way to be known for more that your blood." Ginta tried to persuade. Kouga shook his head.

"There's no way to rationalize with him right now." Hakkaku told him, but when InuYasha turned to him, he apologized to his best friend, but he just wasn't able to hurt someone that he had bandaged, someone who he had witnessed at his weakest. He backed away from the fight, catching a glimpse of gratefulness in the almost mad hanyou.

The three wolves froze, however, when InuYasha fell to his knees gripping his head, letting out a blood curling scream. Kouga rushed to his friend, but was blocked by a barrier from the sword.

In his head, his demon side roared in pain, hatred, and self-loathing. His human side was curled up in pain. No moonless night had ever felt like this. His hanyou side was being attacked by his demon part.

_We are useless! Not worthy! Must die! So much shame…_

InuYasha blocked as well as he could, taking damage on both his mind, and his body.

They don't matter! InuYasha tried to shout back, we've never cared before!

_Pack doesn't care anymore! They know how ugly we are. Must die._

InuYasha cursed himself. His demon side was in a rage, and his human side was useless. What do you mean the pack doesn't care?

_Old woman dead. Wolf betray. Monk and slayer wish us dead. Reincarnation doesn't care. Kit is ashamed. We are useless. _

Kaede…

He knew now why he was in so much pain, a pack member died, and there was nothing he could do about it. Kikyo would kill him. He swore that he would always protect her little sister. Granted, at the time, Kaede was only seven, and he was on a tree for fifty years of her life, but Kaede always had a connection to him. She was the only one he trusted to help him. Kouga used to be on that list, but when he tried to fight the half demon, InuYasha's demon started to distance him. A single tear escaped his eyes. But, now that his human side was calmer, and his demon side went from rage to fuming, he could get himself under control.

What he didn't know, however, was that while he was fighting in his mind, his body was changing. The sun had set.

His amethyst eyes opened and his head pounded. Damn. His demon had done more damage than he thought apparently. At least two of his ribs were broken, and more were at least bruised. His arm was popped out of socket, and he knew he would have to put it back. His body was more battered than it was when he woke up. Why wasn't he healing?

His eyes sought out Kouga, who, even if he was pissed with him, was still part of his pack.

"Kaede's dead." He told the wolves. None of them moved, and Kouga's blue eyes were frozen. It took a few moments, before he started stuttering. He seemed stuck on something, and whatever it was had kept him from absorbing the news.

Now, for the fun part. He put one of his hands on his bad shoulder, and popped it back into place, encoring the sharp pain that quickly became a dull throbbing.

"But-but the new-new moon…what?"

InuYasha's eyes widened slightly. One hand slipped into his view and he cursed. Human. Surrounded by full demons. Full demons who hated him. Well shit. To his surprise, his demon and human sides were in agreement. Death was coming. And worse: they were alright with it. He tried to come up with some reason to keep himself alive, some reason to fight, but he couldn't come up with a single thing.

"Well shit." He muttered to himself, before letting out a soft sigh, which was probably a lot louder to the demons around him. Well, at least he didn't have to fight anymore. His body slumped against the sword, his eyes fluttered as he tried to at least stay awake. Would it hurt? He glanced at Kouga who nodded to him. He nodded back. This wasn't how he had expected to die, but then again, people say that your death is like your life. So he was dying like he had been born. Alone, friendless, and ready to take on a new world. Maybe he would see his mother again.

A voice interrupted his mental musing. One that he hated more than anything when he was a kid and one that now he really didn't give a damn about. His brother.

"Giving in, Hanyou?" he asked, loathing was clear in his. To his clear surprise, InuYasha nodded.

"I'm not that stupid. I know when I'm beat." He said with a shrug.

That was until a mother wolf and fox came into the room, carrying the little prince and princess. Ayumu was sobbing her heart out, and Atsushi wasn't far behind. He wanted to calm them, go to them, but he was a human, and unlike on a normal human night, he was pretty much defenseless.

Unless…

Once again, his thoughts were interrupted when the wolf almost forced the boy in his arms. Atsushi stopped crying, cuddling into the warmth as InuYasha shifted slightly to make the boy more comfortable. One of his now clawless hands ran over the little boys' hair, calming both of them. Ayumu was still reaching for him, but unless the kit was given to him, he wouldn't touch her.

"She likes stories, and humming." He informed the fox who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"I've done this before, you filthy half-breed!" She shouted, her white hair was rising slightly. InuYasha just shrugged.

"Ame, just give Sakura to the half breed." said another fox who was clearly her mate.

InuYasha on the other hand sorted through his mind, trying to think of an appropriate story to calm the little girl. However, while it was amusing to him, most would find it insulting, but if it made her shut up, he could deal with the consequences. His eyes were focused on icy blue ones, and he started his story, and one of his most amusing memories, when he met Kagome.

Of course, he started with talking about Kikyo and her wish to make him fully human, though he expressed his annoyance with the thought, and as soon as he had taken the jewel, with his heart hurting like hell, Kikyo stuck him to that damn tree. When Kagome appeared in front of his face, with the same scent, and the same warmed eyes, he admittedly freaked out. After all, what was the point of pinning him to a tree then letting him go? In the span of three seconds, his whole life had changed. Hell, he knew that for demons fifty years passed really quickly, but three seconds was just crazy.

Granted, he was pissed when he saw Kagome, and hell yeah he wanted to destroy a couple buildings, maybe slaughter a few irritating humans. But when Kaede put that damn necklace on him, his rage doubled. Then, he was literally forced to cool off. At the time, it had just put him in a more calculative mindset, but now, it was pretty funny. By the time he finished his story, Atsushi had been giggling, and Ayumu had calmed down, fighting sleep. He passed the cub to his mother, and tried to keep his mind off of his pain.

At the surprised looks he received, he just shrugged his good shoulder, "You didn't think I could tell a story?"

"You can talk about Kagome?" Ginta asked his eyes wide.

He blinked once. Obviously, either he was missing something, or the rest of them were. Oh.

"She was never a potential mate. I figured I would end up a beta when she put the collar on." It wasn't that big of a deal to him, although to his utter horror, he was enjoying the conversation with the wolves.

"But…she…"

InuYasha snorted. "Kagome is a manipulative, sadistic, psychotic woman. There was no way I would mate _that_."

Which was true. Even if he had become an alpha, he would have rather stayed alone for eternity than mate her.

"Then who would you mate?" One of the wolves asked slyly.

His expression changed slightly. "Never thought about it, really. It's a moot point now." A warning went off in his brain. He was getting too comfortable around those he considered pack. His eyes hardened slightly as his demon and human sides were both screaming at him to get the hell out of there. Not even an hour ago, they had been ready to die, but now, he had an idea, something to combine his warriors mind and royal's blood.

That said, he turned for the one more towards the door.

The mother of the fox kit was sneering at him yet again, and he was getting pissed at her better-than-thou attitude.

The guards once again tried to block his way, and he looked exasperatedly over his shoulder.

"Are we really doing this again?" InuYasha asked.

"You're not allowed to leave." The elder spoke up from the corner of the room, crossing his arms in what InuYasha thought was a stupid way. He considered mimicking the elders' posture and expression, but that was a little childish, even for him.

InuYasha took a calming breath, and forced himself to stay still. His demon side wanted to taste the old man's blood, feel his flesh ripping through his claws. His human side wanted to punch the bastard in the face, but seeing as his body was that of a human, he couldn't do much more than sit here and look pretty.

"Dude, your nothing more than skin and bones," Kouga told him, "you've gotta start taking better care of yourself."

InuYasha paused for a moment, unsure if he should say what he wanted to say, simply because it could easily be used as blackmail. After a mental 'what the hell', he decided to just go with it. It wasn't that big of a deal to him. "I'm always gonna be light." He told him with a shrug of his good shoulder, before finally exiting the manor. His breathing became easier as soon as he took that first step.

Now though, he had no idea where the hell he was going. The village that his pack lived in was now out, thanks to the fact that the one person who actually cared for him was dead. He really didn't want to roam the country again. He wanted a home. Some place that he would be safe. When he heard a small cry of a child, he figured that it was as good of a place to start as any. He roamed the village for a few moments, before following his ears. Even if he was human right now, his senses were still better than that of a normal human.

A little boy who couldn't be older than five was crying over the body of the tiger demon that had been guarding the village. He had dark hair, like InuYasha currently did, and bright green eyes that were filled with tears. The thing that really caught his attention, however, was the tiger ears on his head. A half-tiger demon. His heart broke and he walked slowly to the cub.

"Hi there." InuYasha said, keeping his voice both calm and quiet so he didn't scare that poor little one. "Was that your dad?"

The little one seemed terrified, and InuYasha knew why. Humans were not really a threat to a grown half demon, but as children, they were easy targets.

"I'm a half-demon too." He told the boy, "My name's InuYasha."

The boy just looked at him. His body pulsed once. Twice. Three times. He inhaled deeply through his nose, scenting the world around him. His ears twitched, catching every noise, before discarding it as not important. He blinked and the transformation was complete, his dark hair became white and his eyes turned golden.

"Ryou." The boy told him. InuYasha smiled slightly, feeling his fangs against his lips. He may have been scary to a human child, but this was a hanyou. InuYasha held out his hand, and Ryou took it without a thought. Now, though, InuYasha knew where he was going. He needed to find an old friend. But first, he picked up the boy, and with only a glance towards the manor, he ran towards his haven, letting a few drops of his blood fall to activate the wards around the lake. The child had fallen asleep, so InuYasha laid him on the soft grass, falling asleep himself moments later to the gentle lullaby of the soft early autumn breeze.


	4. Starting Challenges

Chapter 4 Starting Challenges

A drop of dew clung to the leaf, fighting not to fall on the sleeping half demons below. The wind caressed the drop of water, making it fall on the sensitive nose of the elder half demon.

InuYasha opened tired golden eyes and swiped at his nose in minor annoyance. Seconds later, another drop fell, this time on the tip of his ear. His ear twitched, flicking the water away, but it did its job, and he was awake. The little boy next to him had surprised him, for a few moments until he remembered exactly what had happened the previous day. Sometime during the night, the little boy had moved from the warmest part of the cave, to the entrance, where he was, and curled up at his side. InuYasha ran a hand through the boys' hair, watching as the boy purred in his sleep.

He sat up, stretching slightly, and glanced at the sky. It would be a beautiful day, he thought as a few fluffy white clouds swam across the sky. It was just passed sunrise, and everything seemed to be in a good mood. Golden eyes closed for a moment, feeling nature singing a cheerful melody.

When InuYasha's eyes opened, he was looking into dangerous green eyes of the cub he had rescued last night. He pulled himself up, before picking up the adorable little boy.

"We're gonna go find a friend of mine, alright?" Ryou nodded and curled up in his guardian's arms, tucking his head under the older hanyou's neck.

After a few minutes of walking, InuYasha let the small boy down next to a patch of berries that he had planted years ago. He glanced around, there was a large valley surrounded by a forest that was filled with plump prey. A small lake was on the far side, and a cave that winded underground were the only noticeable things besides grass. But he could work with that. He roamed the valley again, leaving the cub to eat. It was safe here, so the little boy could explore, or find him, easily. He went over to the lake and took a long drink, before continuing his survey of the land. After a few minutes, the little cub found him again, and walked with him.

The whole thing only took half an hour to walk, and the land was perfect for his newest project. After making sure that the little boy was ready, he picked him up, and ran towards a place that he remembered well enough.

He slowed to a walk when he heard fighting in the distance. Normally, he would have just left it, but he recognized three of the scents that were obviously bleeding. His eyes widened and he cursed. Humans were attacking Jinenji, his mother, and a little white haired girl that he knew was another hanyou, Shiori. He ran into the fight and pulled Shiori into his arms, shifting his grip on Ryou, who was clinging to him, terrified. He set them both down on the other side of the clearing, and after yelling at Shiori to bring up a barrier around the two, he went back to join the fight. The old woman was dead by this point, and Jinenji was fighting with tears running down his face. InuYasha quickly killed the humans and ran over to the other hanyou who had collapsed when he saw InuYasha finish his opponents. Jinenji was bleeding, and his normally scarred body was in horrible condition. He bit his lip, before retrieving the two little ones, and moving over to the older half demon.

He pierced his wrist and held it to the other half demons mouth. It took a few minutes, but when Jinenji forced away his hand, InuYasha knew he would be alright. That done, he turned to the two kids and pulled them into his arms, making Shiori freeze and Ryou break down crying. Once she saw that he wasn't going to hurt her, big tears ran down her dark amethyst eyes. He shushed the children, rocking them slowly back and forth, and whispering that everything would be alright. After a few minutes, Shiori pulled away, looking at him with tears, before her expression turned into a mirror of his own when he was determined.

"They came out of nowhere." She began, looking at the older lady in sadness, "Mom and I came here because I could tell that you had been here. The other bat demons started hurting me again, and we left. There were four kids that also had your protection on them, so we invited them to join us. We were attacked by humans, and mom and the youngest girl died, but Jinenji-san and Kira-san saved us. Now the humans…" she trailed off with another harsh sob. InuYasha gave a small sigh, but pulled the girl close for a moment.

"Where are the others?" He asked quietly.

"Down in the basement." Jinenji's told him, his voice was filled with pain as his body tried to stitch itself back up again. InuYasha gave a small sigh, but gave the children instructions to not move and pull up a barrier if someone came by, before walking towards the house, if it could still be called that, and heading towards the scents of fear. He opened the small door that he couldn't fit into even if he tried, letting his scent travel.

Next thing he knew, he was being tackled by a now thirteen year old, in looks, Asagi. The twins, Dai and Roku if he remembered right, were more hesitant.

Moegi gave him a large smile, which was rare for the little girl, but it made him scoop her up in his arms.

They were alright, but InuYasha knew that mentally they were not. The smallest of their odd family, a little girl named Ai, had died, and if they were anything like him, they were still suffering from her death. He gave a small grunt, but put the girl down and headed outside.

His demon side was purring at the trust that the pups were showing as they followed without a word. He walked over to the other adult demon, telling the kids to stay there, before taking the body of the old woman behind the house. It took less than ten minutes to bury the body, but when his nose twitched at an unfamiliar scent, he moved slightly faster.

Earth. There was no other word that could possibly describe the scent. Dirt, soil, and life. He wanted to close his eyes and enjoy it, but he knew that his pack might be in trouble, so he forced his body to move. What he saw made him freeze. Where Jinenji once laid, was now a stranger. Instead of the elongated face, large, bulging blue eyes, curly black hair that was always tied back on his horse like head, and torn dark tan skin laid a tan skinned man with no visible scars. His face was more human-like, taking most of his mother's features, except for unearthly light blue eyes and hair that was a light blue at the scalp but darkened as it moved down his body, ending just passed his shoulders. His body was still tall, but no longer did he tower over them, now reaching a height of just past six feet. His body was strong, muscular, and quiet appealing to the eyes. InuYasha cursed under his breath. His blood must have done something to the other half demon, who was now staring at him like he was the main course on a buffet.

InuYasha couldn't help but flare his youkai, showing the other that while he may be a beta, he was still the others alpha. The other hanyou broke eye contact and looked down, tilting his head slightly in a show of submission.

InuYasha picked up the larger male, before gesturing for the children to follow. They headed back to his haven. This new pack of his followed his directions much better than his old one, who never listened to him, and always doubted everything he had to say.

Once they reached the place, the sun was high in the sky, and it was time for lunch. He inhaled deeply, sensing the other's demon sides. Most likely, all but three of his new pack ate meat. The twins were Coyote demons. Both were still skinny and had overly sharp features, including the whisker like marks on their faces. The orange haired one with a stripe of green, Daidai, or just Dai, lay down on the soft grass, tugging his twin, the green haired one with the orange strip, Roku, down with him.

Moegi, who was a deer hanyou if he was right, decided to go over to the lake, dipping her feet into the cool waters, and hummed a quiet but pretty song. Her hair was a muted brown, and her eyes were dark blue, but they had wisdom well beyond her years in them. She hadn't spoken a word yet, but she did stay close to him, seemingly wanting his attention without actually asking for it.

Shiori, a bat hanyou, cringed slightly in the sunlight, and with his permission, went into the caves. Ryou followed her with a small smile in the direction of his guardian. Asagi looked at him with a slightly curious glance, before returning her eyes to Jinenji. He laid the older man down under a tree, and told the girl to watch him, before jumping into the trees and disappearing.

"Will he take care of us?" Asagi asked quietly, ashamed to admit that she and the others needed help.

Jinenji couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his now humanoid lips. "I have never met a kinder soul." He told the girl. She gave a small laugh, before going over to the twins and lying down, leaving the elder to rest.

/././././././././././././././.

Less than an hour later, InuYasha came back into the clearing with a large buck over one shoulder and a string on fruit over the other. He sat down his load before returning to the forest and gathering wood and rocks. After making a small fire, he sat down, calling the others too him, before passing the food out. As he had guessed, Jinenji, Moegi, and Asagi ate the fruit only. Shiori nibbled on both, and the rest of them ate mostly meat.

"InuYasha-san, do you need any help?" Asagi asked as he got up to return to the forest.

He tilted his head slightly, before shrugging.

"I'm gathering wood so that I can start to build houses." He told the girl, who followed him into the woods. The twins decided to help, making sarcastic comments under their breath.

It took almost an hour, but InuYasha was satisfied with the work.

Now for the hard part. He started smoothing the wood and cutting it into workable pieces. That took a few hours, and way too many splinters. By sunset though, he had set up the base of the house.

Now though, he was sitting at the front of the cave, running his claws through the hair of both Ryou and Shiori. Moegi laid down next to him, and he couldn't help but move her closer. The little girl was adorable. The twins were speaking softly to each other in one corner, and Asagi was curled up beside Jinenji.

An hour later, everyone was asleep, but InuYasha couldn't help the restlessness of both his body and his mind.

That was when a shiver ran through his body. He was being called. He nibbled on his bottom lip for a moment, before laying his fire rat robe over the youngest three, maneuvering them carefully so they were lying side by side and tucked the robe around them. InuYasha walked to the back of the cave and shook the horse hanyou awake.

Their eyes met, and Jinenji nodded his consent. He would keep an eye on the kids as long as InuYasha did his best to hurry back. InuYasha raised another eyebrow, asking silently if he could handle all six kids at once. Jinenji glanced at Asagi, before nodding again. Satisfied, InuYasha headed out of the cave.

It took two or so hours to get back to the village, but he honestly wasn't worried. They had yelled for him, but from what he could tell, they were fine. What he saw made no sense to the poor hanyou.

The royal whites, all of them, were waiting around, trying not to be touched, or spoken to, by the Ningen. The humans were looking at them with mixed awe and hatred. Then there was his pack. Sango was now with child. Miroku was still trying to flirt with the beauties, and almost getting himself killed. Shippo seemed interested in just watching the show play out. Then there was Kagome. She looked like hell, he thought with a mental snort. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were puffy. The biggest thing was the fact that she had a dark red handprint on her left cheek. Well, that and the fact that both Sango and Miroku seemed intent on ignoring her.

InuYasha rolled his eyes once more, before stepping into the village.

He encored the demons for a moment, turning an exasperated voice to his pack. "What could you possibly need in the middle of the night?" He asked.

"They asked us to call for you." Miroku told the hanyou.

"Thanks. Now get to bed. Especially you, Sango." Another argument was coming, he knew it, but by the gods, he wanted to be back with the pups, not here, in the middle of a village that no longer held anything in it for him.

Sango and the others protested, but in the end, he won. Finally, he shooed away the rest of the villagers, who automatically felt safer with him around protecting them, and turned his attention back to the demons.

'You lead very well for a hanyou." One of the wolves told him with a small smirk. InuYasha shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal.

That was when they got serious. An elder of the Fox demons stepped out, watching how the hanyou was able to shift from nonchalant to an attentive stance without the usual gesturing that he had to do.

"We will give you the other hanyou's. While most of them may be useless, to us, we are willing to give them to you in exchange for peace, information, and mating one of the royal foxes and wolves. It's a good deal, no?"

"What do you mean by giving me the other hanyou's?" he asked, deciding to start with the first statement.

"We will gather all of the hanyous from are respective homes, starting with the west, then the north, the east, and finally the south. We will give you a large chunk of land to grow your village on, and if any hanyou gets into trouble, they will go to you, and not our own courts. The area where we found you, and fifty miles on each side will be yours. Should you need more land, you will have to ask."

This was his chance to be known for more than his blood, yet still retain his freedom. But there was still a question that he had to know first. "What information do ya want, and how will ya use it?"

The elder turned to Sesshomaru. "I thought you said he did not have a high intelligence."

Sesshomaru looked as surprised as the rest of them. No one quite knew what to do with this smart version of the usually reckless hanyou.

"We want to know about Hanyou's. We want to understand your race, and find out if it's even possible to make hanyou's into successful parts of their respective villages. We want to understand how their minds work, and what it is that they want out of their lives. We also wish to know if a hanyou could be used as a leader in moments of paranoia. You are still the prince of the west you know."

InuYasha paused; none of their demands had anything to do with wiping out hanyou's, destroying them, or harming them in general.

"In five years, if you keep your side of the bargain, and leave them to me, I'll agree to mate with your princes."

The elder shook his head. "Mate with both of them now, and we'll get started on our end. As it is, we don't trust you too keep your end."

"I won't mate with anyone yet. I need my whole mind to be able to survive these next few months. But, they can come with me, or visit whenever they want."

"We can't just leave a beta without a mate! You'll be taken in days!"

InuYasha snorted. He couldn't help it; they were just being stupid now.

"I've been a beta for almost six months now. If I haven't been taken yet, it's a pretty good guess that it won't happen for a while, if ever." He was right of course. He had been born as the year was getting ready to die, where the world was changing colors. Now it was ready to grow new life. A beautiful spring will soon give way to a scorching summer, before a cool autumn and deadly cold winter take over the world.

"Take guards with you at the least! If anything happens to you, the deal is null and you come live in the palaces, like a good little prince."

InuYasha sighed quietly, before nodding his consent. By this time, the moon was getting ready to disappear from sight until the sun set once more. The elder turned towards the fox guards, randomly picking five, before allowing the wolves to do the same.

As much as he wanted to complain, he really didn't have time. Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, a grey wolf, and a black wolf were his guards, excluding the five fox guards. Kouga gave him a small smirk, before mock bowing. InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"The first part of our bargain, little brother." Sesshomaru muttered, before snapping his fingers. A group of no less than twenty five half-breeds of all ages were led over to him. The youngest was still a babe in the arms of a half deer demon who looked to be in her mid-thirties. They were all dirty, and looked to be in horrible condition.

Great.

He rubbed his aching temples, before coming up with a plan that hopefully would work. He roamed the village, leaving his new guard at the village square, and tried to find…

His eyes lit up when he saw a large wagon. Most of them would have to stand up, but at least they wouldn't have to walk. He dragged the wagon back to the square. Now what? Umm…Well, he figured he could probably drag the damn thing, but he really didn't want too. It would take too long. Not that there was much of a choice.

"Is there anything else?" he asked semi-politely. The elder chuckled, before making a shooing motion. InuYasha shrugged, and helped the tired people on the wagon. It hadn't taken too long, thankfully.

"Ya riding or running, flea bag?"

Said flea bag just jumped on the wagon, well aware that his weight was hardly anything to the hanyou. The rest of his guard decided to walk, and after straining his muscles for a few seconds, the wagon lifted. He settled it on his arms, holding tightly, before taking off in a light run. This was a pace that he was pretty sure he could keep up.

Three and a half hours later, he stopped, stretching his now sore muscles, before yelling for Jinenji and the others. Ryou tackled him, his tiger-cub ears twitching in excitement. Shiori was next, and more graceful, though her dark purple eyes showed her happiness at his return. Finally, the twins, Asagi, Moegi, and Jinenji came over.

He closed his eyes for a moment, before barking out directions. He told Dai to dry out some of the meat that they hadn't eaten the night before, and Roku was to get the skin dried out. He figured it would be as good of a blanket as any. Asagi went to catch some fish, Jinenji went to gather some herbs that would help heal the other half demons, Shiori gathered some of the berries, and Ryou went with the injured into the caves so they could sleep. Moegi went to gather water for the others. Thankfully, the stream and the lake were fresh water, so she didn't have to go very far.

The guards were coming hunting with him. They would need a lot of food to keep up with that many demons. It went from eight to thirty eight in one night, and if his brother was to be believed, more would be coming.

A few hours later, they had successfully gathered fruit; the seeds would be planted in a garden that Jinenji wanted to grow, and plenty of meat. He allowed the sick people to sleep though lunch, but woke them up for dinner, before sending them once again to bed.

Jinenji and InuYasha were the only ones awake now, both watching the stars. Neither had been in a particularly talkative mood in the past day, but now, InuYasha knew that the older-looking demon needed to talk.

InuYasha looked over at the other demon, before letting out a soft sigh. "Go ahead."

Jinenji gave the other a confused look, which InuYasha answered with a look of his own.

As expected, the other started a rant.

"Why can't they just leave us alone?" Jinenji asked an hour later. InuYasha thought for a moment.

"Their scared that if they don't hurt us, we'll hurt them first." InuYasha answered quietly.

"I'm an uma-hanyou! What do they expect me to do? Eat all of their grass? Destroy their crops?"

"Why did they treat me, an inu-hanyou, like they did? Or Asagi, an ahiru-hanyou, like they did? Ningen are scared of all hanyou, horse, dog, or duck. They have a reason to be scared. Once we grow up, we can do a lot worse to them than just snapping their necks. They hurt us because we can't fight back as children, and as adults, you let them escape with nothing more than a few bruises. If you had fought back, they wouldn't have gotten a chance to do any damage. Not that it's your fault. As a horse half demon, you're way less violent than I am."

Jinenji sighed. "I don't want to fight anymore, InuYasha-san, I just want to grow my plants, and never think about those horrible things again."

InuYasha shook his head. "Your mom was human, so was Shiori's and mine. I'm assuming Ryou's mom was human too. There are some good ones out there." He muttered, "But, ya, most of them are psychos."

Jinenji gave a small laugh.

"If you could change your name to anything, what would it be?" InuYasha asked quietly.

Jinenji gave him a look, before seeing that he was serious, "Daichi or Yukia. Why?"

InuYasha looked into the ethereal eyes of the uma-hanyou. "Because this is your chance to get rid of the past and start over. I can introduce you tomorrow as something else. But you have to want to start over." He got up and dusted off his pants, before offering his hand to the other.

"Yukia."

InuYasha paused, but gave the other a small smile. "You should get some sleep, Yukia."

"Alright. Goodnight, InuYasha-sama."

InuYasha almost choked. "Can't you just stick to InuYasha?"

The newly dubbed Yukia shook his head; his blue hair glowed in the moonlight, not unlike his own.

"This is going to be a proper village, with a proper lord. Would you rather be called Lord InuYasha?" Yukia took it as a no when the other flinched at the title. That was when he decided on the perfect name. "Very well, Alpha."

InuYasha didn't mind that name nearly as much as the other suggestions, Yukia could tell. So, with a quiet goodnight, he went to the cave with the others.

"InuYasha has grown up hasn't he?"

Yukia jumped and turned towards the three wolf demons. Seeing as they were friends of the newly dubbed Alpha, he gave them a small smile.

"He pretends otherwise, but I think he's been through more than any of us."

"And yet, he's still so much fun to irritate." Kouga said with a small smirk. The other two were hiding their snickers behind their hands.

"Yes," Yukia told them as he gazed out to where the subject of their conversation was hauling wood over to the spot he had decided to build the first of the houses on, "he is, isn't he?"


	5. Until Death Says Goodbye

Chapter 5 Until Death Says Goodbye

Two months later, everyone had an assigned job, as well as hours to rest. Yukia worked with his garden, slowly getting crops and other medicines. The oldest of the half demons, a woman that they called Mayu, set about teaching the children, all fifteen, excluding the babe who stayed with InuYasha, how to read, write, and the basics of survival. InuYasha and the men took turns hunting and building homes. So far they had twenty-seven homes built, as well as a building to teach, and a large building where InuYasha lived. No one called him InuYasha anymore, even though he decided to keep his name, unlike most of the other adults. They alternated between Alpha and my lord.

Now, he was sitting in his office, staring out at the village that was thriving under his control. A knock on his door made him glance up. No one entered his personal rooms without his permission, not even those he considered his closest friends or his pups. He called for them to enter, gracefully moving to his desk. Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, and the other guards came in. They were the only ones who called him by his real name, even if it was said with disgust and deeply hidden awe in the case of the full demons he didn't know. Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku all changed to InuYasha-sama. At first, it was just to tease the obviously annoyed half demon, now it was out of respect.

Now, they entered the office of the Alpha of the Fuben Na Hanyou, or the Inconvenient Hanyou, as it had been dubbed by the people. InuYasha didn't have any better ideas, so he just left it.

Kouga bowed, followed by the others.

"Permission to speak?"

InuYasha gave a small sigh, but nodded anyway.

"You have a guest that we believe may be a danger to not only you, but the village of Fuben Na Hanyou. They are waiting outside of the forest." Tsune, one of the fox demons sent to guard him, said with a serious expression.

"They asked for me?"

The others hesitated.

"They asked for the leader of the village. They said something about an arrow." Renji told him.

"Ya, and she looks like Kagome, but she obviously isn't. Her scent is different." Hakkaku finished.

Kikyo… He shook his head roughly, before bolting out of the room and towards the forest where he sensed an old, familiar aurora. He froze in front of her, and she did the same. Their eyes locked, and neither was able to move for a few minutes. By that time, his guards had hidden themselves in the denseness of the forest, keeping their charge in view. InuYasha took a hesitant step forward, before stopping. Kikyo must have seen some sort of signal because she ran to him and threw herself into his embrace. He wrapped his arms around the beautiful young priestess, holding her close, and buried his head in her soft neck. She stroked his soft white hair and hummed softly when she felt his tears upon her skin.

They held each other for a few minutes, before InuYasha started whispering apologies. She shushed him, and backed up a step. He tried to say something, but she held one delicate finger to his lips.

"It wasn't your fault." She told him, her voice was both gentle and stern. InuYasha gave her a small smile. She held his human heart, as he held hers. "Death is a natural part of life, InuYasha."

"Except for yours." He couldn't help but mutter. She gave him a small smile.

"Indeed. I found someone who is able to let my sprit die without harming my body. A way to return to the ashes and the afterlife. I am going to take it." His eyes widened, before he pulled her body to his tightly. She couldn't leave him again. Not yet.

Kikyo let out a small laugh and reached up to pet behind his ears. She was one of the only people he didn't mind touching his ears.

"I had been waiting for Kaede to pass and for you to find some place that you belong. Now, my imoto is waiting for me, and my love has a new chance at life." She told him, before pulling him into a kiss, letting him take comfort in her once more. She pulled away after a minute or so and gave him a smile that made him melt, before reaching behind her neck, untying something. She carefully lifted it from its place over her heart.

It was a necklace, a simple black cord with a stone of amber at the bottom. He had given it to her for her sixteenth birthday almost fifty six years ago. During her life, she had never taken it off, and even after her first death, Kaede had hidden it away, unable to allow her sisters favorite possession to be burned, even if it was beside her.

She took one of his hands and gently laid the item in his palm, before giving him one last kiss. This one was filled with the love that they should have never felt, sadness, and an acceptance from the half demon. One of his hands wrapped around her waist, and the other, after depositing the necklace in his pocket, held her face gently as their tongues moved together in one final dance. Her arms locked around the back of his neck, holding him close, before she stroked his hair one final time and pulled away.

Kikyo gave him one last smile, before walking away.

"I love you Kikyo. I won't ever forget you." He told her as she walked away, unable to stop her from leaving, no matter the pain he felt from allowing her to leave.

"You always will own my heart, InuYasha, but I gave yours back. You will fall in love again." She told him without looking back, as tears were running down her face, "I will wait for you, my love."

And with that, she disappeared into the dense forest; her scent disappeared with her, so that he couldn't track her, even if he wanted to. His hand went to his pocket and pulled out the necklace once again. He inhaled her scent deeply once more, before locking away the feelings of pain and heading back to his office once more.

Meanwhile, the guards were frozen in shock. As a beta male, he should have been unable to feel emotion of any depth for a female, but from what they had just seen, he had defied all logic and fallen deeply in love with the young priestess. Yes, now both of them knew that they could not be together, but that didn't stop them from wishing.

Kouga felt horrible for his one-time rival. It was so cruel. His true love had died, and then been resurrected, forever young, like himself, then InuYasha had transformed into a beta, and had been unable to be with the woman he loved. Now, she was leaving him again, this time with the promise of waiting for him in the afterlife. Frankly, he was surprised that the other male hadn't stuck the Tetsuaiga through his chest in that very moment. Kouga probably would have. But the young hanyou had decided to live, to try and save as many lives as he could.

"Someone should go check on InuYasha-sama." Ginta suggested quietly. Apparently, the other wolf was worried about the same thing he was. Hakkaku shook his head.

"I can't even imagine what he's going through right now, but InuYasha-sama needs to be alone. Would you want anyone around after something like that? I know I wouldn't."

"Your right, but it's just cruel that she told him like that." Ginta muttered. Renji and Mari nodded while the fox worriers just exchanged looks.

"It's just so weird that he's a beta. He doesn't act like one at all." Tsune added.

Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku all snickered.

"He would have killed you for thinking he was a beta a year ago. Like, ripped out your heart and pissed on it while you suffocated to death."

Tsune got a small smirk on his face. "You think he's protesting too much?"

Renji let out a loud sigh and looked at the place where InuYasha and the maiden priestess had been standing a few minutes before. "Should someone tell the lords and ladies?" He asked quietly. That sobered the others up. So far, the hanyou had done nothing worth telling the lords and ladies, or at least romantically, but now…

"Well shit." Kouga muttered. This did count as something they wanted to know, didn't it? None of them wanted to be the ones to betray the hanyou's trust over something so serious. Kouga let out a small sigh. "Mari, Renji, you too better get running if you want to make it back by the time the newest additions get here."

Tsune sent two of his own foxes to the lords of the South.

That being done, Kouga tracked the hanyou to a hot spring hidden deep in the forest. The hanyou had one arm thrown over his eyes and his face was twisted in anguish. The wolf sighed. He hated seeing the usually strong hanyou like this. When he started muttering the words Kikyo, I'm sorry, and don't leave me Kouga realized he was asleep. He glanced at Ginta and Hakkaku, both of whom looked horrified. InuYasha may have been their friend, but he wasn't one to show weakness, especially not being seen with tears running down his face, even in sleep.

Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku all looked at each other. None of them wanted to be the one to go and speak to the half demon. Finally though, Hakkaku muttered "cowards" under his breath, and went over to his friend, giving the other two wolves a look that basically said "scram".

Hakkaku slowly walked over to his friend, making as much noise as he could so that the hanyou would hear him. InuYasha jumped at the noise, and hurried to wash his face before the other came into view. By the time Hakkaku reached the hot springs, InuYasha was leaning against the warm stones. He needed to relax anyways. When he saw the look on his friends face, he dropped his masks and threw his arm over his face, feeling color rise in his cheeks. It honestly wasn't fair that he hardly ever got a moment of alone time any more.

"Are-"

InuYasha cut him off with a look. His golden eyes were hard and more than a little pissed. Hakkaku nodded, respecting his friends' wishes. That didn't, however, stop the questions in his eyes.

The hanyou let out a sigh and turned away once more. Hakkaku was about to say something, anything, when InuYasha's quiet voice cut into his thoughts.

"No, I'm not okay, and I probably won't be for a while. But, I will be. This is just another shitty thing that the universe is throwing my way. Stupid fuckers. If you're worried about me killing myself, I will beat the shit out of you, and the rest of you fucking idiots."

Hakkaku snorted, and he could feel the others laughing from a distance.

"You know you're not supposed to be able to fall in love with a female, right?"

InuYasha let out a bark of laughter. "Since when have I ever listened to the rules?"

Hakkaku smiled, and InuYasha hid one himself.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, before InuYasha let out another small sigh, getting out of the water. Droplets clung to his skin, and Hakkaku couldn't help but stare at the beauty that the hanyou possessed. Before he knew what he was doing, Hakkaku was getting closer and closer to his prey. InuYasha turned around at the last moment, and growled low in his throat. Hakkaku's demon didn't like that, and his eyes flashed red.

Kouga and Ginta were about to intervene, when they felt something powerful washing over them. Both of their eyes widened and they couldn't look away. InuYasha had allowed his youkai to pulse around him, letting the other demons feel the power he had so easily hidden from them. Both fox and wolf were frozen. They knew he was strong, but they certainly hadn't expected the power that may surpass even his brother.

"Its time you realized," InuYasha said quietly, his voice was soaked with power, "that all those play fights over the years were simply that." Hakkaku didn't seem to hear him, and it look less than a minute for InuYasha to take down his opponent. Neither was hurt, though not due to Hakkaku who seemed out for blood. InuYasha had both of the wolf demons hands behind his back, making him stand at an uncomfortable angle in order to keep his arms from breaking. With his other hand, InuYasha had his claws digging into the others neck, not quite enough to draw blood, but enough to hurt badly. Hakkaku whimpered, and tried to nuzzle the neck of the stronger demon. InuYasha allowed the other to lick his chin, but that was all before his eyes changed back to their normal brown.

A deep blush covered the tan wolf, and InuYasha laughed quietly.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of times I've had to do that in the past month alone." He chuckled softly, pulling on his clothes. The sound of a powerful roar in the distance made him freeze. He closed his eyes for a second, before changing his expression to that of a leader, instead of the powerful warrior that he normally was.

He didn't say a word, but the guards followed him without question. He walked over to the village, letting out a small smile when Ryou and Shiori ran up to him. He picked up both children and walked over to the caravan where his brother and a few other demons were waiting.

"Twenty seven more, little brother."

InuYasha nodded, and snapped his fingers. Moments later, most of the demons were helping the newest members out of the caravan and into the caves. Shiori jumped down, and followed them to the caves, which were basically her territory, as she was the only nocturnal hanyou here. Ryou squirmed in his arms, and InuYasha slowly lowered the boy to the ground. Maya came over, holding baby Takaru in her arms, He waved her over, whispering something in her ear, before she departed.

"You seem to be doing well." Sesshomaru told him. InuYasha nodded. He was doing pretty well so far. One of the demons cleared their throat, and Sesshomaru couldn't fully suppress his annoyance.

InuYasha for his part was barely paying his brother any attention. Yukia was coming his way with a basket full of herbs.

"Alpha." Yukia greeted quietly. InuYasha gave the other a small smile.

"Any of them in really bad shape?" He asked his friend.

Yukia nibbled on his lower lip, before nodding. His blue hair was thrown up in a hasty pony tail today, and he smelled of blood.

"Four of them are close to death, seven have what could be deadly injuries, and all of them are extremely malnourished." InuYasha gave a small sigh, before nodding. Yukia gave him a small bow, before hurrying over to where the injured are.

"Who was he?" One of the wolves asked with a sneer.

"One of my betas." InuYasha said with a shrug. Yukia and Tachi, a hawk hanyou, were his two betas. They were both powerful, but while Yukia preferred to figure things out without violence, Tachi was the one who had no problems fighting, Where Yukia was calm, but friendly, Tachi was mistrustful, with an extreme temper. Both of them would die for any of the people here, and he trusted both with his life.

The wolf just glared at the retreating figure of his friend. The guards just watched from the shadows, not willing to harm anyone if they didn't have to.

"Little brother, I would like to introduce you to Sadaharu, the second son of the wolf lord, and Kisuke the fourth son of the lady of the south."

InuYasha nodded politely to the others.

Suddenly, one of the hanyou's ran over to their leader.

"My lord, one of the newest arrivals is in labor, Yukia-sama needs your help!"

"Where's Maya and Tachi?" He asked.

"Maya-san is with Sakuno, she went into labor too. Tachi-sama is out with the hunters, gathering food for the new arrivals."

"Go get Asagi and tell her to meet me by Yukia." He ordered, before turning to the guards in the shadows. "Kouga, got get some warm water, Ginta, go with Hakkaku and get some cloths and maybe a couple of furs. Tsune, Horio, you two go get some of the baby things that we gathered for Sakuno. Kaichiro, you're with me. Move it!" the wolves and foxes were out of sight before he could finish his sentence. "You'll have to forgive me, but I have something to do. Excuse us. It was nice to meet you both."

That done, InuYasha ran over to the village square, encoring the fact that the demons had followed him. If they wanted to see a half demoness give birth, then that was their problem. Yukia had already moved the soon to be mother to his hut, and he followed shortly after. He could have followed the scent of blood, or even the sharp screams, but he already knew the way. He was only partially surprised when he saw Asagi already sitting by the woman's head, petting her hair and offering words of encouragement. Asagi looked up when he came in and shook her head. The babe may survive, but the mother was already injured.

He went over to the small table and picked up a few of the herbs there, mashing them under a heavy stone and adding a little bit of water to make a paste. The child was almost out by the time that InuYasha completed his task. He carefully scooped some of the goo in his hands and gently rubbed it on her extended belly. To his utter shock, her felt at least two more pups in her body. His eyes widened slightly, but he continued to rub her stomach, soothing both her and her chicks. She was an eagle hanyou if his nose was right. Unlike their animal counterparts, almost all demons and hanyous gave birth to live children, not eggs. The first child was born just as the wolf demons rushed into the room. InuYasha took the child and handed her to Asagi, gently reminding her to keep an eye on the little girls head.

InuYasha kept up his motions for a few more seconds, before Yukia went to examine the child, leaving InuYasha to help the other hanyou. She was in labor for hours, and four more chicks later, after making sure that her chicks would be alright, and getting a promise from InuYasha to treat them like his own, the mother died. InuYasha was the one who covered her body, and he was the one who carried her to the place he had decided long ago was going to be the burial ground. He picked up the chicks, which were sleeping in a basket, before heading back to his home.

Ryou ran over to him, and with a little bit of convincing, left to spend the night with Maya. Shiori would be in her caves tonight, he knew, and the other children would most likely stay with Yukia.

InuYasha was exhausted; way too much had happened in one single day. His eyes burned when he thought about Kikyou, so he did his best not to, even if he was well aware that she would most likely haunt him in his dreams. Tomorrow, he would deal with his brother and the strangers. Tomorrow, he would deal with the grief of loosing a member of his pack, and celebrate the new members. Tomorrow, he would deal with his upcoming mate-ship. Tomorrow, he would name the newest members and keep his promise to the young hanyou woman. Yes, he would get everything done that he needed to, but for tonight, be would rest.

* * *

So, this is your fifth chapter, two in a day! Aren't I nice? Please tell me what you think so far. Cookies to whoever can guess where Sadaharu, Horio, Sakuno, Renji, and Kaichiro are from. Here's your two hints: Its an anime, and its filled a sport. Good luck!

~~Random Reader OO1


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